Chapter 1:

Mathematics
in Our World
Overview:
The emergence of digital has sparked a monumental rise in the rate at which we consume
and produced data. Before the internet, it could take hours to get several volumes of resources
from the library for a research paper. Today, a few minutes (or seconds, depending on the speed
of your connection) using your mobile device’s browser could get you the information, or even
more. A few decades ago, it took hours for photographs to be printed and shared. Now, it only
takes a matter of seconds for your perfect selfie to be uploaded and viewed by your relatives and
friends on the other side of the world.
In this fast-paced society, how often have you stopped to appreciate the beauty of the
things around you? Have you ever paused and pondered about the underlining principles that
govern the universe? How about contemplating about the processes and mechanisms that makes
our lives easier, if not more comfortable? Most people do the same routine tasks every day and
the fundamental concepts that make these activities possible are often overlooked.
As rational creatures, we tend to identify and follow patterns, whether consciously,
subconsciously. Recognizing patterns feels natural, like our brain is hardwired to recognize
them. Early humans recognized the repeating interval of day and night, the cycle of the moon,
the rising and falling of tides, and the changing of the seasons. Awareness of these patterns
allowed humans to survive. In a similar fashion, many flora and fauna also follow certain
patterns such as the flowers’ petals, or even the shape of a snail’s shell.
Do you also notice patterns around you? What other examples can you think of?
In this chapter, we will be looking at patterns and regularities in the world, and how
mathematics comes into play in nature and in human endeavors.
Lesson 1: Patterns and Regularities in Nature and in the World
Lesson 2: Fibonacci Sequence
Lesson 3: Application of Mathematics in the World

Lesson 1 Patterns and Regularities in Nature and in the World

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Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, you must have:
a) Identify patterns and regularities in numbers, in nature and in the world.
b) Appreciate the nature and uses of mathematics in everyday life.
c) Discuss the nature of mathematics, how it expressed, represented and used.

CATCH IT
Consider the figures below. What figure comes next? Why?

A B
Solution:
Looking at the given figures, the lines seem to rotate at 90-degree intervals in a counter clock
wise direction, always parallel to one use side of the square. Hence, either A or B could be the
answer. Checking the other patterns, the length of the lines inside the square follow a decreasing
trend. So again, either A or B could be the answer. Finally, looking at the number of the lines
inside the box, each succeeding figure has the number of the lines inside the box, each
succeeding figure has the number of lines increase by 1. This means that the next figure should
have five lines inside. This leads to option A as the correct choice.

What number comes next? Why?

1, 3, 5, 7, 9, __?
Solution:
Looking at the given numbers, the sequences increasing, with each term being two more than the previous
term: 3 = 1+2; 5 = 3 + 2; 7 = 5 + 2; 9 = 7 + 2. Therefore, the next term should be 11 = 9 + 2.

CONCEPTUALIZE
Patterns are visible regularities found in the natural world and can also be seen in the
universe. These patterns recurring different context can sometimes be modelled mathematically.
Man has developed a formal system of thought for recognizing, classifying, and exploiting
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patterns which we called mathematics. By applying mathematics to organize and systematize
ideas about patterns, we have discovered a pattern in nature. Nature patterns which are not just to
be admired, they are vital clues to the rules that govern natural processes. Patterns possess utility
as well as beauty and once we have learned to recognize a background pattern, we can
immediately appreciate it.
There is much beauty in nature’s clues even without any mathematical training we can all
recognize it. Mathematical stories have its own beauty which start from the clues and deduce the
underlying rules and regularities, but it is a different kind of beauty, applying to ideas rather than
things. The development of new mathematical theories begins to reveal the secret of nature’s
patterns. We have already seen a practical impact as well as an intellectual one of our newfound
understanding of nature’s secret regularities. But most important of all, it is giving us a deeper
vision of the universe in which we live, and of our own place in it. The modern understanding of
visible patterns is developed gradually through the years.
Different Patterns in Nature and the World
Patterns can be observed even in stars which move in circles across the sky each day. The
weather seasons cycle each year (e.g. winter, spring summer, and fall). All snowflakes contain
six fold symmetry which no two are exactly the same. There are evidences presented by
mathematician that hexagonal snowflakes have an atomic geometry of ice crystals.

Different Snowflakes

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 Patterns can be seen in fish patterns like spotted trunkfish, spotted puffer, and blue
spotted stingray, spotted moral eel, coral grouper, red lion fish, yellow boxfish, and angel fish.
These animal and fish stripes and spots attest to mathematical regularities in biological growth
and form. These evolutionary and patterns, but it is not explained how the patterns are formed.
Spotted

Trunkfish Blue Spotted Stingray Spotted Moray Eel Spotted Puffer

Zebras, tigers, cats and are covered in patterns of stripes; leopards, and hyenas are
covered in patterns of spots, and giraffes are covered in patterns of blotches.

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Zebra Tiger Cat Hyena Giraffe

The Sunflower
Looking at a sunflower up close, you will notice that there is a definite pattern of clockwise and
counterclockwise arcs or spirals extending outward from the center of the flower. This is another
demonstration of how nature works to optimize the available space. This arrangement allows the
sunflower seeds to occupy the flower head in way that maximizes their access to light and
necessary nutrients.

Sunflower
Snail’s Shell
We are also very familiar with spiral patterns. The most common spiral patterns can be
seen in whirlpools and in the shells of snails and other similar mollusks. Snails are born with
their shells, called protoconch, which start out as fragile and colorless. Eventually, these original
shells harden as the snails consume calcium. As the snails grow, their shells also expand
proportionately so that they can continue to live inside their shells.
This process results in a refined spiral structure that is even more visible when the shell
from the spiral center increases (radius), the amplitudes of the angles, form by the radii to the
point and the tangent to the point and the tangent to the point remain constant. This is another
example of how nature seems to follow a certain set of rules governed by mathematics.

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 A logarithmic spiral

Natural patterns like the intricate waves across the ocean; and dunes on deserts;
formation of typhoon; water drop with ripple, and others. These serve as clues to the rules that
govern the flow of water, sand, and air. One of the most strikingly mathematical landscapes on
Earth is to be found in the great ergs, or sand oceans, of the Arabian and Sahara deserts. When
wind blows steadily in a fixed direction, sand dunes form and the simplest pattern in the
transverse dunes, which looks like ocean waves. If the sand is slightly moist, and there is a little
vegetation to bind it together, then you may find parabolic dunes.
Water ripple Typhoon Dessert dunes Oceans wave
Other patterns in nature can also be seen in the ball of mackerel, the v-formation of geese in the
sky, and the tornado formation of starlings. This prevalence of pattern in locomotion extends to the

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cutting of insects, the flight of birds, the pulsations of jellyfish, and the wavelike movements of fish,
worms, and snakes.
V- Formation of Geese Ball Mackerel Tornado formation
In the general sense of the word, patterns are regular, repeated, or recurring forms of designs. We
see patterns everyday- from the layout of floor tiles, designs of skyscrapers to the way we tie our
shoelaces. Studying patterns help students in identify relationships and finding logical connections to
form generalizations and make predictions.
Symmetries in Nature
Recall that symmetry indicates that you can draw an imaginary line across an object and
the resulting parts are mirror images of each other. It is a sense of harmonious and beautiful
proportion of balance.

The figure above is symmetric about the axis indicate by the dotted line. Note that the left
up and down portions are exactly the same. This type of symmetry, known as the line or
bilateral symmetry, is evident in most animals, including humans. Just like looking in the mirror
and you will see how the left and right sides of your face closely match. Leonardo da Vinci’s
Vitruvian Man showing the proportions and symmetry of the human body.

There are other type of symmetry depending on the number of sides or faces that are
symmetrical. Take a look at these images.

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 Spiderwort with three-fold symmetry this starfish has a five-fold symmetry

Note that if you rotate the spiderwort and starfish above by several degrees, you can still
achieve the same appearance as the original position. This is known as rotational symmetry. The
smallest angle that a figure can be rotated while still preserving the original formation is called
the angle of rotation. For the spiderwort, the angle of rotation is 1200 while the angle of rotation
for the baby starfish 720.
A more common way of describing rotational symmetry is by order of rotation. A figure
has a rotational symmetry of order n (n-fold rotational symmetry) if 1/n of a complete turn leaves
the figure unchanged. To compute for the angle of rotation, we use the following formula:
360 ᵒ
Angle of rotation =
n
Consider this image of a snowflake. It can be observe
that a the patterns on a snowflake repeat six times, indicating
that there is a six-fold symmetry. To determine the angle of
rotation, we simply divide 360º by 6 to get 60º. Many
combinations and complex shapes of snowflakes may occur,
which lead some people to think that “no two are alike”. If you
look closely, however, many snowflakes are not perfectly
symmetric due to the effects of humidity and temperature on the
ice crystal as it forms.

World Population
As of 2017, it is estimated that the world population is about 7.6 billion. World leaders,
sociologist, and anthropologists are interested in studying population, including its growth.
Recall that the formula for exponential is A=P ert , where A is the size of the population after it
grows, P is the initial number of people, r is the rate of growth, and t is time. Recall further that
e is Euler’s constant with an approximate value of 2.718. Plugging in values to this formula
would result in the population size after time t with a growth rate ofr.

Population Growth
The exponential growth model A=30 e0.02 t describes the population of a city in the
Philippines in thousands, t years after 1995.
a. What was the population of the city in 1995?
b. What will be the population in 2017?
Solution

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a. Since our exponential growth model describes the population t years after 1995, we consider
1995 as t=0 and then solve for A, our population size

A=30 e0.02 t

A=30 e( 0.02) (0 ) Replace t with t=0.

A=30 e0
A=30(1) e 0=1
A=30
Therefore, the city population in 1995 was 30,000.
b. We need to find A for the year 2017. To findt, we subtract 2017 and 1995 to get t=22 ,
Which we then plug in to our exponential growth.

A=30 e0.02 t

A=30 e( 0.02) 22 Replace t with t=22

A=30 e0.44

A=30 ¿) e 0.44 ᵙ 1.55271

A=46.5813
Therefore, the city population would about 46,581 in 2017.

Direction: Determine what comes next in the given figure? Why?

1.

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2.

?
3. A, C, E, G, I, _____

4. 10. 1, 8, 27, 64, __?

5. 100, 121, 144, 169, _____

Direction: Determine what comes next in the given patterns. Justify your answers(3 pts
each item).

1. 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, ___?

2. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ___?
3. 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, ___?
4. 8, 10, 14, 20, ___?
5.

?
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Direction: Substitute the given values in the formula A=P ert to find the missing quantity.

6. P=680,000; r =12 % per year , t=8 years

7. A=1,240,000; r =8 % per year ; t=30 years

8. A=786,000; P=247,000 ; t=17 years

9. A=731,093; P=525,600; r=3 % per year

Answer completely
10. Suppose the population of a certain bacteria in a laboratory sample is 100. If it doubles in
population every 6 hours, what is the growth rate? How many bacteria will there be in two days?

Lesson 2 Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, you must have:
a) Discuss the concept of Fibonacci Sequence and Golden ratio and its applications.
b) Appreciate the nature and uses of Fibonacci Sequence and Golden ratio in everyday life.
c) Discuss the relationship of the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci sequence.

CATCH IT
Direction: Analyze the given sequence for its rule and identify the next three terms. Establish
the rule for determining the next term.

a) 1, 10, 100, 1000, ___, ___, ___?

b) 2, 5, 9, 14, 20, ___, ___, ___?

Solution
a. Looking at the set of numbers, it can be observed that each term is a power of 10:
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1=100 , 10=101 , 100=102 ,∧1,000=103. Following this rule, the next three terms are: 104
=10,000, 105=100,000, and 106 =1,000,000.
b. The difference between the first and second terms (2 and 5) is 3. The difference between the
third and the fourth terms (9 and 14) is 5. The difference between the fourth and fifth terms is 6.
Following this rule, it can be deduced that to obtain the next three terms, we should add 7, 8, 9,
respectively, to the current term. Hence, the next three terms are 20 + 7 = 27, 27 + 8= 35, and 35
+9= 44.

CONCEPTUALIZE

Around 1200 AD when Pizano or Leonardo of Pisa (1170-1250) published the Liber
Abbaci, or “Book of Calculation”, an arithmetic text which concentrated mainly on financial
computations and promoted the use of Hindu-Arabic numerals- the forerunner of today’s familiar
system, which uses just ten digits, 0 to 9, to represent all possible numbers. One of the exercises
in his book seems to have been Leonard’s own invention. It is written like this: “A man put a pair
of rabbits in a place surrounded on all sides by a wall. How many pairs of rabbits are produced
from that pair in a year, if it is supposed that every month each pair produces a new pair, which
from the second month onward s becomes productive?”

The Rabbit Habit

We say that a pair of rabbits is nature if it can produce, offspring, and immature if not. At
the start, month 0, we have 1 mature pair. After one month, his pair produces an immature pair,
so we have 1 mature pair and 1 immature pair - 2 altogether. After two months, the mature pair
produces another immature pair; the immature pair matures but produces nothing (2 mature pairs
and 1 immature pair - 3 in total). After three months, the 2 mature pairs produce 2more immature
pairs; the immature pair matures but produces nothing (3 mature pairs and 2 immature pairs - 5
in total). After four months, 3 mature pairs produce 3 more immature pairs; the 2 immature pairs
mature but produce nothing (5 mature pairs and 3 immature pairs - 8 in total).

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 The Fibonacci sequence is the sequence f1, f2, f3, f4,.... which has its first two terms f1 and
f2 both equal to 1 and satisfies thereafter the recursion formula fn = fn-1 + fn-2.. When continued
indefinitely, the sequence encountered in the rabbit problem 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89,
144, 233, 377, is called the Fibonacci sequence and its terms the Fibonacci numbers.
Flower petals exhibit the Fibonacci number, white calla lily contains 1 petal, euphorbia
contain 2 petals, trillium contains 3 petals, columbine contains 5 petals, bloodroot contains 8
petals, black-eyed Susan contains 13 petals, Sasha daisy 21 petals, field daisies contain 34, and
other types of daisies contain 55, and 89 petals.

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 White calla lily
Euphorbia
Trillium
Columbine

It was discussed in the previous topic that beautiful patterns like the spiral arrangement of
sunflower seeds and the shape of a snail’s shell contain Fibonacci numbers. It is also interesting
to note that the ratios of successive Fibonacci numbers approach the number Φ (Phi), is also
known as the Golden Ratio. This is approximately equal to 1.618. Two quantities are in the
golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.
The golden ratio is also called the golden mean or the divine proportion.

a b
a+b a
a = b = 1.618034.... = Φ
a+b

The Golden Ratio can also be expressed as the ratio between two numbers, if the latter is
also the ratio between the sum and the large of the two numbers. Geometrically, it can also be
visualized as a rectangle perfectly formed by a square and another rectangle, which can be
repeated infinitely inside each section.
1 13
=1.0000 =1.6250
1 8
2 21
=2.0000 =1.6154
1 13
3 34
=1.5000 =1.6190
2 21
5 55
=1.6667 =1.6177
3 34
8 89
=1.600 =1.6182
5 55

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 Golden rectangle with the golden spiral

Notre Dame is a Gothic Cathedral in Paris, which was built in between 1163 and 1250. It
appears to have golden ratio in a number of its key proportions of design. The Taj Mahal in India
used the golden ratio in its construction and was completed in 1648. The order and proportion of
the archer of the Taj Mahal on the main structure keep reducing proportionately following the
golden ration. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartes in Pris, France also exhibits the golden
ratio.

Notre Dame Taj Mahal Chartes Cathedral

As we have seen in the previous section, the human mind is hardwired to recognize patterns.
In mathematics, we can generate patterns by performing one or several mathematical operations
repeatedly. Suppose we choose number as the first number in our pattern. We then choose to add
5 to our number, resulting in 8, which is our second number. Repeating this process, we obtain
13, 18, 23, and 28 ... as the succeeding numbers that form our pattern. In mathematics, we call
these ordered lists of numbers a sequence.

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 Can you cite some applications of Fibonacci sequence and the Golden ratio in some fields like
paintings, architecture, music and in nature?

Direction: Solve for the value of n. (2points each correct answer.)

A. Let Fib (n) be the nth of the Fibonacci sequence, with Fib (1) =1 Fib (2) =1, and so on.

1. Find Fib (13)

2. Find Fib (32)

3. If Fib (22) = 17,711 and Fib (24) = 46,368, what is Fib (23)?

Evaluate the following given:

4. Fib (1) + Fib (4) = ____

5. Fib (1) + Fib (11) + Fib (15) = ____

6. Fib (1) + Fib (6) + Fib (10) = ____

For 7 – 10. Determine whether the sequence shows a Fibonacci sequence. Justify
your answer.

7. 1, 1, 2, 4, 6, 10

8. 1, 1, 2, 3, 6

9. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8

10. 13, 21, 34, 47

B. Present and discuss four(4) other applications of the golden ratio. You may specify them
in the areas of paintings, architecture, music and in nature? (5 pts each)

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